Little Red Dragon
by SaintlyZombieKiller
Summary: When a mishap occurs during a showdown between Kimiko and Jack, The Xiaolin boys are left with a mystery. Kimiko has vanished and in her place is Little Red Riding Hood. {Sequel to Not So Happily Ever After}
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Xiaolin Showdown, any fairy tales used or the Dark Parable games which once again inspired me. I do own Garnet Chambers, her history and anyone connected to her._

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><p><span><strong>Little Red Dragon<strong>

**Chapter 1: Once upon a time in a blinding flash**

_Once upon a time, in a far away land..._

The weeks within the Xiaolin Temple had passed without a hitch. The days consisted of chores, training and showdowns. For the dragons, life had returned to a semi-normal state.

It had been five whole months since the events of the fairytale world. Kimiko kept her book close at hand; rereading the story given to her about the vessel she had grown to like as a friend. Then suddenly the story disappeared and Kimiko was at a loss. Although the other stories in her book were the same, Kimiko found she could not look at them in the same light. Not now she knew the true stories behind the fairytales.

Deep down Kimiko wished for a way to see the vessel again. Without the threat of world destruction of course.

But as the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for.

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><p>When winter arrived to the temple, it came with cold winds. Clay had spent most of the time complaining but his friends did not fault him for it. The cowboy came from warmer climates. He felt the cold easily.<p>

The dragons' training had been cut short with the announcement of a new wu. To Clay's disappointment the wu was located in the alps. The group bundled up against the cold and set off.

"The wu is called The Rosa Sword. It's like the Sword of the Storm only it weilds fire." Dojo informed on route.

"Shouldn't be too hard. Look for the melting snow." Raimundo commented. Something down below them caught Omi's attention. He pointed at the object.

"Or search for Jack Spicer!" He exclaimed. Dojo dropped to the ground quickly and the dragons wasted no time in running at Jack. The boy genius let out a squeal of fright.

**"JACKBOTS! ATTACK!"**

As the robots emerged from the snow, the dragons leapt into battle. It took no time in destroying them. "You need to upgrade your stuff Jack." Raimundo taunted. Jack on the other hand was too busy digging through the snow.

A glint of light was seen and Jack grinned. "Almost there!" He grunted. He failed to notice Kimiko melting the snow around him. The pair reached for the fire sword at the same time. "Damn it!" Jack cursed.

"Jack Spicer, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown." Kimiko issued. Jack pulled a face.

"Fine! Name your game."

Kimiko opened her mouth but a sound caught everyone's attention. Then suddenly there was a bright flash causing everyone to yell. It was followed by something falling and Jack whining about extra weight. When the flash disappeared, the remaining males looked round.

Nothing was out of place. Nothing seemed odd. Remembering the 5 months before, the male dragons searched for signs of anything fairytale like. They found none.

"Would someone get this dragon off me!" Jack flayed around in the snow. The dragons looked down to someone in red lying on Jack's chest. Dojo's eyes widened.

"That's not Kimiko." He stated. The male dragons instantly knew something was wrong.

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><p>When Kimiko came to it was to a fuzzy head and a bad taste in her mouth. The ground underneath her felt grassy and dry. Nothing like the cold, wet ground from the melting snow.<p>

Kimiko gently lifted her head and winced. She could feel blood under her wool hat as well. The fire dragon tried to remove her hat only to find her hands were tied together. "What the?"

A sickly sweet smell caught her attention and the dragon gagged. She remembered the smell and knew all at once that something had gone horribly wrong. Kimiko opened her eyes. Staring at her was Gretel.

"You're awake." The female cannibal moved closer to Kimiko and felt her arms. "You look yummy."

"Let me go!" Kimiko ordered. Gretel instead chuckled darkly and cuffed Kimiko across the head. The dragon winced as the pain got worst.

"Silly little girl." Gretel moved back to the campfire.

Now that she sat in better light, Kimiko could see that the sweet faced cannibal had changed. Her left arm was horribly burnt. The burn marks stopped at her wrist and crawled up her face to her cheekbone. Kimiko could only imagine how much of Gretel's body was burnt. Gretel's dress was now black and red but the cannibal still carried her over-sized sword.

Movement came from one of the bushes and Gretel's brother appeared. "I have nettles and holly berries." He proclaimed loudly. The news brightened Gretel's face. The male twin turned and smiled at Kimiko. "Awake I see. Good. I like it when they scream." Kimiko tried to scramble backwards from Hansel. He too seemed to have change.

One side of his hair had been shaved; it was to the scapl, crudely cut and showed off numerous scars. His right eye had a large ragged scar over it which had been joined by two smaller scars on his cheek. It gave him an even more menacing look.

Hansel returned to his sister and they stoked the fire. Kimiko tugged at her bindings but they refused to break. The dragon knew that she needed to calm her mind to summon her element, but she couldn't. Kimiko, usually so calm if not a little hot-headed, was blinded with panic.

"So how are we doing this?" Gretel asked suddenly. Kimiko listened carefully.

"Dismember her first." Hansel replied. Kimiko's fevered tugging got worst.

Then, from deep with the forest, a loud inhuman screech was heard. It sounded so terrifying that the birds flew away and the twins were on their feet. They held their weapons tightly.

"What was that?" Gretel whispered. Hansel shrugged.

"I don't know." He motioned to the camp. "Pack up. We're leaving."

"What about her?" Gretel did not want to lose out on a good meal.

"I'll deal with it." Hansel advanced on Kimiko. She screamed as Hansel raised his weapon high.

The blow never came.

Instead a gaint black claw swiped at Hansel. The claw was attacted to a large black monster. It's face was nothing but a deer skull; there was no skin, no lips and no eyes. The rest of it's body was a mixture of fur and skin. The skin was pulled tightly over muscle and bone. It's feet ended in hooves. Kimiko squinted her eyes a little. She was sure that the fur of the monster was matted with something.

Hansel and Gretel were quick to defend their camp. Kimiko was sure that she would be dead whoever won, but she found it strange how the monster never looked at her. Although the twins were good at fighting, the monster seemed unfazed with every attack. When Gretel stabbed the creature in the leg, it did not scream. Instead it backhanded Gretel away and pulled the sword from it's leg.

Hansel watched in horror as no blood was seen. "It's Necro." He stated suddenly. Kimiko was surprised to see Hansel and Gretel looking so scared. The monster's jaw clicked several times as it turned slowly and looked at Kimiko. She in turn could not take her eyes from it. Gretel rushed to grab her sword. She tried to take a swing but her brother pulled her away.

"But..."

"Don't." Hansel tugged his sister away which earned the attention of Necro. It did not persue the cannibal twins, merely watched them.

Now up close and personal with the monster, Kimiko could smell blood and gore on it's skin and fur. The smell became so bad and so heady, coupled with the fear she had been feeling, that Kimiko promptly blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her first review. I hope you enjoy this as much as the first._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 2: Swap<strong>

When Claire McDowell woke it was to a bad head and a funny taste in her mouth. The ground felt hard and wooden. Unlike the dry, grassy ground of the forest. Claire could feel something on her forehead. She gingerly lifted her hand and felt the object.

It was a bandage. Claire frowned to herself. Had she been rescued from the twins? There was a sweet smell in the air. Claire slowly opened her eyes to see Clay staring at her.

"You're awake!" He grinned. Claire cocked her head to one side.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" She asked Clay's smiled faded slightly. He looked worried.

"Ah'm Clay." He greeted. Claire searched her memory for the name. Her eyes lit up.

"I remember you! You were helping Garnet send the residents back home!" Clay's grin return.

"That's right. You're Claire." The said female nodded her head. "Wait right there." The cowboy got to his feet and rushed off to find the others. Claire stretched and looked around.

She was in the temple's main hall. The smell was coming from pots of jasmine flowers that lined the sides. The large statue at the back winked in the sunlight. Claire found herself mesmerised by it.

Clay returned with the others. Master Fung carried a tray that held a lone cup and a large jug of water. "You must be thirsty." The old master set the tray on the ground.

"Can I just have the jug please?" Claire asked. The males all looked at each other before Raimundo handed the jug over to Claire. To their surprise she began to drink straight from the jug. She didn't stop until she had had her fill. "That's better. Thank you." Claire set the jug down. "What happened to my head?"

"You had a nasty wound partner. Master Fung and Dojo stitched you up." Clay informed.

"I see." Claire bit back a retort about how her werewolf DNA could have healed the wound. "Thank you."

"Do you have any idea what has happened to Kimiko?" Master Fung asked.

Claire pulled a face briefly. "My guess is we've swapped places. I'm here which means Kimiko's in my spot."

"She's in fairytale land?" Dojo questioned.

"Yeah."

"How do we get her back?" Omi demanded. Claire shrugged her shoulders.

"Hell if I know."

"But you appeared here with magic. You have to know." Omi objected. Claire frowned.

"I wasn't the one messing around with dark magic. The twins. Hansel and Gretel. You remember them right?"

"Try not to." Dojo shuddered.

"Well they were the one's messing with that stuff. I think they tried to kill me only it backfired."

"Tried to kill you? With teleportation?" Master Fung asked. Claire shook her head wildly. The bells in her headband jiggled loudly.

"They must have said it wrong or read it wrong or done the wrong hand gestures. I don't know. What I do know is their magic hit me in the chest, I blacked out and woke up here." Claire crossed her arms over her chest. "Again."

"But why Kimiko?" Raimundo inquired.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Claire sighed.

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><p>Kimiko was sure she has dead. She had to be by now. The monster would have surely eaten her.<p>

So why did everything smell of jasmine and home cooking?

Kimiko gingerly opened her eyes. Apparently the inside of the monster looked like a wooden hut. The dragon of fire felt her head to find that the bleeding had started from a cut to her forehead. Someone had been kind enough to stitch her wound close.

Kimiko sat up; regretting the action when the world began to spin. After a few seconds the fire dragons looked round. She was surprised to find a young woman by the stove. The woman was humming a tune as she cooked. Kimiko squinted her eyes a little. There was something familiar about the woman.

Sensing that she was being the watched, the woman promptly turned round. "Good to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Kimiko replied. Her coat and hat were hanging on a coat hook.

"To be expected. You took a nasty knock to the head." The woman turned back to the stove. It looked like she was brewing something.

"Where am I?" Kimiko asked.

"Fairytale land." The woman turned back with a small cup. "Here. Drink this."

Kimiko did not take the cup straight away. Instead she reached up and took the woman's glasses off. The woman blinked a few times. Kimiko's eyes widened. "You're Bianca!"

"So you do remember." Bianca smiled brightly. They swapped items; Kimiko taking the mug and Bianca placing her glasses back on. "Garnet will be pleased."

"Garnet? Is she here? Did she save me from that monster?" Kimiko gulped the liquid down and winced at the bitter taste. Bianca frowned.

"Monster? No, she rescued you from Hansel and Gretel."

"But that monster! It was big and black and had a skull for a head!" Kimiko argued. Bianca opened her mouth then paused. The door to the hut opened.

"Necro's gonna keep watch out. Anything buggy happens, he'll deal with it." The newcomer shut the door and turned round.

Garnet Chambers smiled at Kimiko. "If it isn't the little fire dragon. You're a long way from home."


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 3: Changes<strong>

Garnet Chambers, much like Bianca, had changed. The only things that had remained the same was her hair, which was still the same shade of white, and her twin swords which were strapped to her side. Everything else was different.

For starters one eye was no longer grey; it was black. Over the grey coloured eye was a scar. It looked an awful lot like Hansel's scar. Garnet unclipped her belt and gently placed her swords on a nearby table. Kimiko continued to take in her new apperance.

The vessel was no longer dressed in brown, gold and white. Instead everything she wour was black and white. Garnet's cloak, black on the outside and white on the inside, was clipped together by a ornate snowfake.

"So? How have you been Kimiko?" Garnet turned round and pulled an item from her short pocket. Kimiko watched in shock as Garnet lit up a cork pipe and began to puff away.

"You're smoking?" Kimiko gasped. Garnet rose an eyebrow then looked down at the pipe between her lips. She shrugged her shoulders. "That's bad for your health!"

"Believe me. I've tried telling her." Bianca called from one side. Garnet rolled her eyes and sat down on a spare chair.

"In my line of work I really don't think my smoking habit is going to kill me." Garnet shot back. She lent back in the wooden chair. "How have you been Kimiko?" Garnet repeated. Kimiko sighed to herself.

"I am...was...fine before I ended up here." She looked at Bianca then at Garnet. "I don't know what happened. And to top it all off I almost got eaten. Twice." Garnet frowned as several puffs erupted from her pipe.

"Twice?"

"I almost got eaten by the twins and then by a giant monster from hell." Kimiko's attention drifted to the window when she saw movement. She sat stock still afraid that the creature would see her. Garnet followed the fire dragon's line of sight before laughing. "What's so funny?" Kimiko demanded.

"He wouldn't have eaten you. I told him to protect you." Garnet chuckled. Kimiko became even more confused.

"You know that thing?"

"That _thing_ is a he and his name is Necro." Garnet pulled a face. "Not the most creative of names but what can you expect from a Necromancer." The vessel shrugged her shoulders. Bianca could sense Kimiko's confusion.

"Last year Garnet was called to help a necromancer return home. He was so grateful he created Necro as a gift." Bianca explained.

"Last year?" Both Bianca and Garnet nodded their heads. "This was after we met right?"

"Yeah." Garnet motioned to her outfit. "I think you would have remembered seeing this get-up." She replied. Kimiko shook her head.

"But we met 5 months ago!" She argued. Garnet and Bianca looked at each other.

"Time here must run faster then their's." Bianca offered. Garnet slowly nodded her head. Kimiko placed her head in her hands. Nothing was making sense.

"Kimiko." The fire dragon lifted her head to look at Garnet. "What happened to you back home?" Garnet asked. Kimiko sat up and gave a complete run down of the events. Garnet and Bianca listened carefully. The vessel frowned. "So if you ended up here, I wonder who ended up in your place."

"I wish I knew." Kimiko grumbled. Bianca tapped a finger to her bottom lip.

"If you ended up near the twins logically it means that Claire was near by." Garnet frowned in thought again.

"I see your point Bianca. There's only one other person who has a problem with those two besides me. That's Claire." Garnet abruptly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kimiko called. Garnet wrapped her cloak around her body and headed for the front door.

"I'm going to speak to the gods." Then she left. Kimiko bit her bottom lip.

"Don't worry." Bianca stood up and made her way to the tiny kitchen of the hut. "If anyone is able to help you, it would be Garnet."

"What's with the scar? And the different coloured eye? And...well everything?" Kimiko inquried. Bianca chuckled as she began to wash up.

"Before helping the Necromancer, Garnet journeyed to the moutains. There is a powerful telekinetic family up there. They helped Garnet became more powerful. As a result one of her eyes turned black." Bianca paused to reach for a towel. "As for the scar. She had a fight with an assassin."

"An assassin?" Kimiko thought back to Goldilocks and Miss Muffet. Bianca nodded her head.

"He had been sent to kill the Snow Queen and Garnet stopped him. Which is also how she came across that cloak of her's." Kimiko noticed that was something unlining in Bianca's tone. The Golden child smiled briefly before turning away.

"Did you ever get to see your brother again?" Kimiko asked. Bianca stood still for sometime before shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"Madness is something I cannot fix. There is no magic to it." Bianca turned to face Kimiko. "The only thing I can do is wait for him. But I'll wait. However long it takes, I'll wait." she replied. Kimiko smiled warmly at her.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review. And thank you to everyone who had placed this story in your favourties. Means a lot._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 4: A 10th Kingdom?<strong>

As darkness descended onto the little hut, there was still no sign of Garnet. Necro showed no sign of moving from the hut either. Kimiko stared out of the window in hopes of seeing the vessel.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she fine." Bianca smiled. Kimiko turned away from the window.

"She's been gone for while. Before it didn't take her this long."

"The gods might not know what happened. They were aware of something strange the first time round. No thanks to Ginger of course. This teleportation issues may have caught them off guard." Bianca's attention turned to her knitting. Kimiko chewed her bottom lip and turned to the window again.

Kimiko had eventually fallen asleep while waiting for Garnet. Bianca placed a blanket over the fire dragon and retreated to her own bed. Outside Necro continued to silently keep watch.

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><p>The next morning Kimiko woke to the smell of cooking. Her stomach growled loudly causing her to blush. Bianca smiled warmly.<p>

"Morning sleepy head. Breakfast is almost done." Kimiko stretched and yawned.

"Any sign of Garnet?"

"Not yet." There came a polite tap at the door. "Come in!" The door creaked opened. "Oh! Hello Mother Gothel."

Instead of Garnet there stood an old woman. She was dressed in a long purple dress with a light blue cloak. One eye was brown, the other was a milky white. Kimiko guessed the old woman was blind in that eye. A set of half-moon glasses sat on the edge of her nose. The woman carried a large staff; mainly for walking and less to do with magic.

"You sounded a little disappointed Bianca." Mother Gothel chuckled. Bianca smiled again.

"We thought you were someone else."

"We?" Gothel turned and looked at Kimiko. The fire dragon stared back. "I don't think we've met before."

"Kimiko."

Gothel stared at the fire dragon for a few minutes. Kimiko started to feel a little uncomfortable. "I remember hearing rumours about a girl who could control fire. You're from the other world."

"Yeah." Gothel smiled and sat down.

"I am Mother Gothel." Kimiko knew the name well. She knew that Mother Gothel was a evil witch in the story of Rapunzel. From that alone the fire dragon knew Gothel had some connection with Rapunzel. Kimiko decided not to mention it for now.

"Would you like something to eat Mother Gothel?" Bianca inquired. Gothel shook her head.

"No thank dear. Already had something this morning." Gothel looked round. "I expected to see Garnet here seeing as her pet is outside."

"That's who we thought you were." Kimiko informed. Gothel regarded the fire dragon silently.

"Where is Garnet? Off with her favourite Queen is she?" Bianca gave Gothel a sharp look.

"No. She's not." Kimiko replied. "What do you mean by that anyway?"

"Gothel." Bianca warned. The old woman ignored.

"Everyone in the 9 kingdoms knows that Garnet and the Snow Queen are close."

"As always you can never stop talking about other people's business." A sharp voice cut in. Everyone turned to see Garnet in the door of the hut. "And Necro is more then a pet. He's a loyal friend."

"Where have you been Garnet?" Bianca asked. Garnet calmly shut the front door.

"This whole thing caught the gods off guard. However I do have a solution." Garnet looked over to Bianca. "We'll need supplies."

"Right away." Bianca disappeared upstairs. Kimiko was instantly on her feet.

"Well?"

Garnet did not answer Kimiko. Instead she stared at Gothel. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for a visit."

"You don't usually." Garnet sniffed. Gothel frowned.

"You're never here. Always off with the Snow Queen."

"I detect jealousy." Garnet teased. Gothel huffed.

"Why would I be jealous of you?" Kimiko was losing her temper with the pair.

"Hello! I need to get back home." She was still ignored.

"You're jealous because you no longer hold a royal title." Garnet glanced over to Kimiko. "You've heard the name Mother Gothel before. Haven't you?"

"Yes. The evil witch who kidnapped Rapunzel and held her in a high tower." Kimiko thought back to her first meeting with Rapunzel. "But how true that is now is hard to say."

"I placed her in that tower by orders of her father. The 10th kingdom was destroyed. She needed to live." Gothel argued.

"I thought you said there was 9 kingdoms." Kimiko frowned in puzzlement.

"There is but once upon a time there was 10." Garnet informed.

"What happened to the 10th kingdom?" Kimiko asked. From above Bianca continued to make noise.

"Cursed by that good for nothing pixie." Gothel spat. Garnet snorted and lit her pipe.

"If your king hadn't decided to be greedy and try to burn her forest down, none of this would have happened." Garnet's attention was back on Kimiko. "The 10th kingdom was known as the Flora kingdom. Like the Apple Kingdom, it's main trade was flowers. The king had a pretty wife, a son and a daughter."

"Rapunzel?" Garnet nodded her head. "So that's why she called herself a princess yet she had no crown." Kimiko gasped.

"Right on the mark." Garnet paused to puff on her pipe. "The Flora king wanted to expand on his kingdom and his target was the Pixie forest. Ruled by Queen Thumbelina."

"I thought Thumbelina was good." Kimiko shook her head a little. "Oh who am I kidding?" She muttered. Garnet began to grin at the dragon. "So what did she do?"

"Before the knights of the Flora kingdom could burn the forest down, Thumbelina killed every guard, knight and subject in the kingdom. She cursed the young princess and the prince. Their curses caused the king and queen to go insane. The queen later killed herself. Before he died the king ordered Mother Gothel to hid Rapunzel away."

"Why you?" Kimiko looked straight at Gothel.

"I was Rapunzel's nursemaid." Gothel tapped her staff on the floor. "Can we change the subject now?" Bianca rushed down the stairs of the hut with supplies. Garnet motioned to the front door.

"We've got quite the journey ahead of us. We should get going." Garnet nodded her thanks at Bianca and took hold of their supplies. Kimiko grabbed her coat and hat.

"Where are we going?"

"To see the Snow Queen." Garnet ignored Gothel's snorting and headed outside. Kimiko quickly followed. Garnet looked up at Necro. "Come on you." Kimiko watched in surprise as Necro turned into a dark purple bracelet. Garnet slipped the item onto her wrist.

"What the?"

"Makes it easy for us to travel. Not everyone likes seeing Necro walking behind me." Garnet smiled slightly. Kimiko looked at Garnet before following her down a beaten path and away from Bianca's hut.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 5: Little Blue Mushrooms<strong>

"So? What did the gods says?"

Kimiko followed behind Garnet as they walked down the path. As it turned out Bianca lived smack-bang in the middle of a forest. The path seemed to go on forever.

"The gods were surprised. That's why it took so long for me to return." Garnet began.

"We gathered." Kimiko muttered.

"Bianca was right though. You swapped places with Claire. Makes sense."

"But why? Why me?"

"You have a link to our world." Kimiko looked at Garnet confused before it dawned on her.

"My book!"

"Exactly." Garnet grinned. The pipe was back in her mouth but not lit. "It was by totally accident though. Hansel and Gretel have been messing with black magic recently. According to the gods. What was meant as a killing spell turned into a teleportation spell. And here you are."

Kimiko fell silent. She tried to take in the information. The path finally began to get somewhere. The fire dragon could make out a fence and a figure sat on it. "Is Claire with my friends?"

"Would seem logical. After all you landed where Claire would have been originally." The pair got closer to the fence. A young boy sat on it looking at the sky.

"So how do I get back home?"

Garnet stopped by the fence. She looked the boy over before turning to Kimiko. "Can't say. Someone may be listening. All you have to know is we're heading to the Ice kingdom."

"Ice is so pretty. It melts on your tongue." The boy stated suddenly. Kimiko stared at him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't mind him. He's baked off his arse." Garnet shrugged. She lit her pipe. "Kimiko met Little Boy Blue."

The young lad lazily looked down and at Kimiko. He looked a head taller then Kimiko herself. He wore blue shorts with a blue and white shirt. His shoes, which were also blue, were scuffed. Even his white and blue socks looked dirty. Boy Blue wore a straw hat with a few wisps of blond hair dancing on his forehead. His blue eyes were glazed over. Kimiko held out her hand. "Hello."

"You're pretty." Boy Blue lent too far forward and fell off the fence. Kimiko jumped back in surprise. Garnet raised an eyebrow. Boy Blue started to laugh.

"Is he okay?"

"Like I said. Baked off his arse." Garnet walked round Boy Blue who sat up. The vessel opened a small gate and motioned to Kimiko. Boy Blue was on his feet.

"Where you going?"

"Taking a short cut." Garnet shut the gate. Boy Blue stood still for a second before climbing over the fence.

"Do you want some mushrooms." Kimiko looked at the Boy in shock. "Pa's got some great ones this year."

"He would do if you stopped eating them." Garnet looked at the fire dragon and looked greatly amused by Kimiko's horrified expression.

"Mushrooms? As in magic mushrooms?"

"Yeah." Boy Blue drawled behind her. "Pa grows mushrooms on this fa-farm. People from all over to buy them." He grinned.

"But they're drugs!" Kimiko gasped.

"Yeah. I guess. In your world." Garnet puffed on her pipe. "Witches, wizards, mages and those kind of people use them."

"So why does he eat them?" Kimiko asked.

"They taste yummy." Boy Blue giggled.

"Some people eat them for the hallucinations they give."

"That what they do in my world." Kimiko pulled a face. "I would never do something as stupid as that."

"Funny. Boy Blue said the same thing. Now look at him." The duo looked to their tag along who had left them, in pursuit of a butterfly. "Idiot." Garnet mumbled and carried on walking.

The field that the girls walked through was huge. In the distance was a single farm house. Kimiko took a closer look at the field to discover there were rows upon rows of mushrooms. The fire dragon came to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Garnet asked, also coming to a stop.

"If we walk amongst the mushrooms, will we end up like..." Both Kimiko and Garnet glanced over to Blue Boy. His attention was now fixed on a bumblebee flying past. Garnet shook her head.

"Only if you ingest the mushrooms. We're safe." They continued on their way.

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><p>Now they were closer to the house, there was an man sat on the porch. He nodded to Garnet.<p>

"Morning."

"Morning sir. Saw your boy just." Garnet replied. The man frowned.

"Baked off his head?" Garnet and Kimiko nodded their heads. "As always."

"Will he be alright?" Kimiko asked. The man nodded his head.

"If he only eats the green ones. His mother's the same." Garnet relit her pipe as she nodded her head.

"See. I always get that confused. I though every mushroom gave you hallucinations."

"Only the green ones." The man looked both Kimiko and Garnet up and down. "Where you two heading off to then?"

"The Ice Kingdom."

"Why am I not surprised." Garnet huffed.

"It isn't what you think." She narrowed her eyes. "Does everyone think the same?"

"Yeah cause we know it's the truth. More power to you Garnet. It's not like anyone here has a problem with it." The man watched his son and suddenly stood. "Boy! You best get away from that!"

"Coming Pa!" Boy Blue began his slow walk back. His father sat down.

"Hope you enjoy your travels but watch out. Hear that those cannibal twins are on the hunt."

"I'm not worried. If they were any real threat, I would have been dead years ago." Garnet snorted. "See you sir."

"Take care girls." Kimiko and Garnet continued on their way. They returned to the forest, leaving the Blue farm and it's mushrooms behind.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review._

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 6: The Ice Kingdom<strong>

By nightfall Kimiko and Garnet had reached the edge of the Ice Kingdom. Instead of carrying on, Garnet led Kimiko to a cave. "What are we doing here?"

"Resting." Garnet slipped the bracelet off and threw it over her shoulder. "Best to get some sleep before we carry on." Behind her Necro appeared. "Be a dear and get us some firewood." The hulking beast disappeared into the nearby forest.

"Couldn't we just continue?" Kimiko asked before yawning. Garnet smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. Kimiko blushed. "S-shut up!"

"Inside. This cave should protect us from the cold." Kimiko shuffled inside the cave. Garnet followed close behind. A few minutes later Necro returned with sticks and branches. He gently pushed them towards the girls. "Thanks. Keep watch for us." The form of the beast covered the entrance.

"Do you think the twins will find us?" Kimiko questioned. She shivered from the bitter cold. Garnet shrugged her shoulders as she arranged the fire wood.

"Hope not. I really don't want to deal with them." Garnet looked at her friend. "Kimiko? Would you be so kind?"

The fire dragon pulled off one glove and clicked her fingers. Fire erupted from her fingertips. Kimiko tossed the spark onto the firewood which began to burn and crackle. Garnet handed Kimiko some food from the supplies. "What does he eat?" Kimiko motioned to Necro. Garnet chewed thoughtfully.

"I don't think he does eat. Never seen him do it." Garnet answered. Necro said nothing in his defence nor did his leave from his duty.

* * *

><p>When Kimiko woke up the next morning, she found herself in the back of a horse and cart. The fire dragon jolted; worried that she had been kidnapped by someone.<p>

"Relax." Kimiko's eyes darted over to Garnet who sat at the opposite end of the cart. "I found us a ride."

Now that Kimiko was fully awake, she could see that the area was covered in snow. She looked round to find the towers of the Ice kingdom appear in the distance. Kimiko glared at Garnet.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I did. Well I tried. You just rolled over again." Garnet stretched as best she could. Both girls were covered by thick blankets. They did a grand job of keeping the cold at bay. "You're kind of light."

"You carried me?"

"Yeah. How else would I have gotten you into the cart?" Garnet grinned. Her bracelet jangled with each bump. Kimiko huffed to herself before burying back under the blankets.

"How much longer till we get to the castle?" She inquired.

"Not long." The driver of the house and cart called. Kimiko cast her eyes on Garnet.

"How did you flag this guy down? I'm a little surprised he wanted to help." Garnet tapped the snowflake clasp on her cloak.

"The driver works in the kingdom. I am a friend of the Queen."

"A friend of the Queen is a friend to all of Kingdom." The driver added. Kimiko fell silent.

* * *

><p>At the palace entrance the two girls were ushered quickly into the building. They kept silent as they were led to the throne room. Half way there they met with the Snow Queen.<p>

"Garnet!" The Queen looked delighted. Garnet smiled.

"Anya." The two hugged. Kimiko watched the display. The Queen turned to Kimiko and smiled.

"It is good to see you again..."

"Kimiko." The fire dragon bowed.

"Please. You don't have to bow." The Snow Queen replied. Kimiko straightened up and shook her head.

"A custom where I'm from." She explained. The Snow Queen nodded her head before pointing down a corridor.

"If you'll follow me." Garnet and Kimiko fell into step behind the Queen. "I have heard from the gods of the recent trouble." The Queen tutted to herself.

"That was quick." Kimiko muttered. Garnet cracked a smile but said nothing. "Where are we going?"

"To the portal." Garnet replied.

* * *

><p>The Snow Queen led Garnet and Kimiko into a large room. Seated in the middle was a pedastool which, to Kimiko's surprise, had a swirling portal on top. "Is that..."<p>

"The Portal Reflux." The Snow Queen responded. Kimiko looked at the Queen in shock then at Garnet.

"You know the little accident caused by Ginger."

"Yeah. Of course." Kimiko huffed.

"Well there was still some energy left. Even after everyone was collected and were returned home. The gods gathered the energy together which produced another portal." Garnet nodded her head towards the item. "The Snow Queen was tasked with looking after it since no one else is aware of it."

"But you are?"

"I'm a vessel." Garnet turned away and walked towards the portal. Kimiko hurried behind. "Hopefully I can get a message to your friends." The trio peered into the portal. Surprisingly it looked like a clear bowl of water. The Queen looked at Garnet.

"Can you do it?"

"I think." Garnet rubbed her hands together before placing them on the bowl.

* * *

><p>Claire knew something was going to happen, the minute she stepped outside. The air felt alive with magic. Even Dojo knew something was going to happen. He stood still and eyed the stillness. "What's wrong Dojo?" Master Fung asked.<p>

"Is it a Wu?" Omi added. Dojo shook his head.

"No. It's something..." There came a burst of light. Everyone stared at the pond.

"Why is it glowin'?" Clay inquried. No one moved. Then something shot up into the air. Almost as if it had been thrown. Claire burst into action; ignoring the falling object and peering into the pond. Whatever had caused the strange sight was now gone. Raimundo picked up the object.

It was a scroll. The wind dragon unrolled it to find a note and a map. He quickly scanned it. "It's from Garnet." Raimundo called out. Everyone gathered around the Wind Dragon.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review._

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 7: Oh Rats!<strong>

Clay placed the map onto the kitchen table while Raimundo read the note.

"There wasn't enough time to write this out. Kimiko is safe with me. We have a plan. Head over to the Little's house. Ask for Alice Little. Ask for the looking glass. It will take us a week or so tops to make it to the other side. Garnet." The men all peered at the map.

"Alice Little?" Clay pointed to a marking on the map. "That looks like England to me."

"Can you be sure?" Raimundo asked. The map was not a typical map. It was a map of the fairytale world. Claire lent over to have a look.

"That's the Rosa Kingdom." She announced. Raimundo took off towards the sleeping area. "What's got into him?"

"Do you know what Garnet meant by Looking Glass?" Master Fung asked. Claire paused for a few seconds before nodding her head.

"Garnet is taking Kimiko to Wonderland."

* * *

><p>"As in Alice in Wonderland?"<p>

After sending the message to the dragons, the Queen led Garnet and Kimiko to the dining room. A lavish lunch had been set for them.

"Wonderland holds the Looking Glass. It's the only safe way to get you home." Garnet replied. She started to help herself to some food. Kimiko bounced on the spot.

"What about another portal?"

"Too dangerous."

"Really?"

"The gods would never allow it." The Snow Queen spoke up. "Traveling to the other world is forbidden and only happens through mishaps. Like you and Claire." She explained further. Kimiko nodded her head.

"I understand." She began to help herself to the food. "How long will it take?"

"A week at the most. Depends on weather and other factors." Garnet replied.

"Like the Twins?" Garnet nodded her head.

"Will you be heading out soon?" Kimiko could sense a small bit of worry in the Queen's voice. Garnet nodded.

"We'll need to make a good start. I want to get past the pixie forest as fast as possible." The Queen was instantly on her feet.

"Then supplies and an offering will be made for you." She smiled as warmly as a ice Queen could. "Please. Rest and feed. The journey will be long." Kimiko said nothing as the Queen placed a gentle hand on Garnet's shoulder before leaving the hall.

"Did you ever take the Queen up on her offer?" Garnet stared at the fire dragon in confusion. "About having a house in the Ice Kingdom."

"I'm surprised you remembered that."

"It was 5 months ago. Did you?" Kimiko pressed.

"Yeah. You could say that." Garnet went back to eating.

* * *

><p>"We are talkin' about THE Alice here. Who went to Wonderland?" Clay asked. He kept a firm grip on his hat as Dojo soared through the air. Up front Claire nodded her head.<p>

"Alice created Wonderland a year back. The inhabitants stay within the walls of their land. They've never come out to visit."

"What about this looking glass?" Omi asked. Raimundo tapped keys on Kimimo's PDA.

"That was the sequel story Omi. Alice through the Looking Glass." He looked up from the screen. "This looking glass is connected to Wonderland?"

"Yes but only Alice can use it." Clare replied. Dojo began to go down. "We wait for Kimiko and Garnet. When they're there, Alice will activate the mirror which should help Kimiko get back."

"And if it doesn't?" Dojo asked. Claire shrugged her shoulders.

"Then we're screwed.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later the Snow Queen returned to the hall. Kimiko stood up as a sign of respect. She was horrified to see Garnet was still seated.<p>

"Supplies for your journey." The Queen waved a hand towards the items at her right. She then looked left. "An offering to the Pixie Queen."

"Thank you Anya. You didn't have to." Garnet smiled. The Queen returned it.

"There is no need to thank me Garnet. Also-" A subject handed over a bundle. "A new cloak for you." The item was handed to Kimiko. The fire dragon looked shocked.

"I couldn't."

"I insist." Kimiko unrolled the cloak and tried it on. It was grey with the same snowflake ornate clip. "I wish you all the best." Garnet finally stood up.

"Thank you again Anya." Kimiko and Garnet gathered their items and left.

* * *

><p>The pair traveled in silence for a short time. They finally came to the opening of a large forest. "This is?" Kimiko asked.<p>

"No. The actually pixie forest entrance is a little further on." Garnet replied. The vessel squared her shoulders and continued on. Kimiko quickened her pace. They had gotten half way through the forest when Kimiko screamed. Garnet's hand went to the handle of her sword. "What is it?"

"There!" Kimiko pointed to an object in the middle of the path. Both vessel and dragon stared at a large black rat.

"Crumbs." Garnet cursed. She pulled out one sword. "Kimiko. Get behind me."

"What? Why?" Her reply was the sound of a melody being played on a pipe. The rat turned and scampered off to a figure. The rat climbed the figure and sat on it's shoulder. The music stopped.

"Well. If it isn't the great Vessel. And what are you doing here?" The figure, a man by the time of his voice, chuckled.

"Piper. I really don't have time for this. Run along and take that rat with you." Garnet ordered. Something clicked instantly in Kimiko's mind.

"That's the Piped Piper?" Garnet said nothing in reply. Piper walked closer to the two girls. One side of his face looked different. Kimiko peered at the stitch mark to find that one side of his skin was completely different. Like he had tried to sew someone else's face onto his. It didn't help ease the mad glint in Piper's eyes.

"One and the same. You look pretty. My rats could do with a real meal." Piper grinned. The rat on his shoulder seemed to smile with him.

Kimiko let out a squeal of fright. "Why is everything trying to eat me?" She demanded. The tips of Garnet's hair lifted up as she spent a telekinesis wave at Piper. He stumbled backwards putting distance between himself and the girls.

"My. You have gotten strong." Piper laughed. Garnet stood ready.

"Get out of our way Piper. We have important stuff to do." To her horror, Piper instead raised his pipe and began to play. Scores and scores of rats flooded the area. They circled the two girls. "Kimiko. I need your fire."

The fire dragon nodded her head and called her element. The fire circled the girls; protecting them and burning the rats. Piper sneered.

"Cute trick. But it won't last for long." He hissed.

"He's right. I can't do this forever." Kimiko whispered to Garnet. The vessel made a motion with her hand which sent the fire spiralling out of control. The flames engulfed the rats, burning them ash. Piper stared in horror.

"What have you done?! My rats! My beautiful rats!" Piper glared at Garnet and Kimiko. "You'll pay for this! I will disembowel you for this!" He screamed. However from behind came a growl.

Kimiko first reaction was to look at Garnet's wrist. The dark purple bracelet was still in place. Garnet sheathed her sword and grabbed Kimiko's shoulder.

Piper turned round to see a large black werecat. It's tail was bent at odd angles. The sight alone seemed to scare Piper to his score.

Garnet practically threw Kimiko into a nearby bush. The vessel quickly joined the dragon. "What the-" Garnet clamped a hand over Kimiko's mouth.

Through the undergrowth the two females could a second figure stand next to the werecat. Kimiko's eyes widened in both horror and shock. The Crooked Man tipped his hat at Piper.

_"It's been a while."_ The Crooked Man grinned. Piper readied himself.

"Leave me alone!"

Instead the werecat threw itself at Piper. The Crooked Man joined the fight; all three retreating back into the forest.

Garnet and Kimiko waited until the fighting had died down. When the forest returned to it's silent state, Garnet climbed out from the bush. She helped Kimiko up and the pair hurried alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Pumpkin Eater**

Kimiko ran after Garnet; silently pleading with her to explain the events. Garnet kept her eyes and ears peeled. Kimiko couldn't take the silence any longer. "Was that..."

"The Crooked Man."

"He's got a new pet." Kimiko shivered. Garnet paused briefly and looked behind them. So far no one was following them. "I take it Piper and The Crooked Man have a history."

"Sort of. I guess." Garnet shrugged her shoulders. "They never use to. Then The Crooked Man got his little pet and that thing has been hounding Rapunzel's brother ever since."

"Oh r-Wait a minute!" Kimiko stared at Garnet in shock. "The Piped Piper is Rapunzel's brother?"

"Keep your voice down." Garnet warned. Kimiko crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah. I did say that the Flora king had a son and daughter."

"But where did Piper come from?"

"The ruins of the kingdom are beyond the forest." Garnet pointed to the tree line on their left. "Piper considers that place his home and will not leave it. He believes himself to be the last of the family."

"Like Rapunzel." Kimiko mumbled. Garnet nodded her head.

"We should get going. You don't want to be in the Pixie forest at night." The duo continued on their way.

* * *

><p>Thanks to Raimundo's quick thinking in using Kimiko's P.D.A, the group found themselves in front of a posh english manor house. No one knew if Alice or anyone who answered the door would help the strange collection of people. They all stood on the door step unable to make the first move. Claire gave out a loud sigh and knocked the door.<p>

The wait seemed to take forever. The group waited in silence; praying that someone would answer the door. Finally the sounds of footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door.

"Hello?" A young blond haired woman stood in the door way. "Can I help you?"

"We're looking for Alice. Alice Little." Claire replied. The woman looked at the group in turn.

"I am Alice. Is there something wrong?"

"We need to use the Looking Glass." Raimundo answered. Alice gasped loudly before looking up and down the street.

"Come inside. Quickly."

* * *

><p>Kimiko and Garnet made their way silently through the forest. Garnet was eager to get out of the forest and far away from Queen Thumbelina. The vessel glanced upwards to see that the sky was still blue. They had plently of time.<p>

"Garnet." Kimiko began suddenly. The said female glanced towards her. "I never told you when we met."

"Told me what?"

Kimiko pulled the cloak tighter around her. "When we sent everyone home the first time, I sat and read the stories in my book." The fire dragon looked up at Garnet. "You had your own story."

Garnet blinked slowly. "Bull."

"It's true! It was called The Vessel, the snake and the dragon." Kimiko argued. Garnet stopped walking and stared at Kimiko. "It just appeared in my book. Then when I went to read it again, it was gone."

"I've never had a story about me in my life." Garnet stated.

"I know but there really wa-What was that noise?" Both females glanced around them when Kimiko heard something. Garnet frowned when nothing presented itself. She placed a hand on one of her swords just in case. "Might have been an animal." Kimiko chuckled nervously.

"Might have been." Garnet kept her eyes peeled none the less. Suddenly a figure appeared and threw something at Garnet. The vessel held up her hands and stopped the object in mid-air. It turned out to be a pumpkin. Garnet shivered. "Kimiko. Behind me."

The fire dragon moved to stand behind Garnet. The vessel sent the pumpkin hurtling back to the figure. The figure jumped out of the way and the pumpkin exploded.

"Thought I'd find you here." The figure chuckled. Garnet lowered her arms and gritted her teeth.

"Peter. What do I owe this pleasure?"

"No reason. Haven't seen you in a while." Peter the Pumpkin Eater lobbed another pumpkin. Kimiko darted out from behind Garnet and used her element to destroy the bomb. Peter watched as his creation disappeared into ash on the floor. "Nicely done." The pumpkin eater rooted in his belongings and pulled out another, much bigger looking, bomb. "How about this?"

He hurled the pumpkin bomb at the girls. Garnet held her out hand forcing the bomb to stop. Before Kimiko could sent it on fire again, Garnet used her telekinesis to squash the pumpkin. There was an explosion of pumpkin guts everywhere.

"Gross!" Kimiko complained. She was roughly shoved to one side as Garnet charged at Peter. The fire dragon watched almost helplessly as the two trade blows.

"Who sent you?" Garnet hissed. Peter grinned slyly.

"What makes you think that?" He tried to gloat but was met with a fist in his face. His nose exploded with blood. Garnet grabbed his shirt.

"You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for a job. Who sent you?" Garnet demanded. Peter began to laugh. "What's so funny?" He pointed down between the pair. Garnet looked down and her eyes widened. Peter was holding another large bomb.

"Kimiko! Get down!" Garnet shoved Peter away from her. The bomb exploded sending pumpkin and smoke up into the air. Kimiko stared at the scene.

"Garnet? Garnet!" She yelled. There was a brief silence before someone coughed. As the smoke cleared Garnet was seen, trying to clean her cape.

"Bloody Wombat." She cursed.

"You're alright!" Kimiko hugged her friend tightly. Garnet smiled and patted the fire dragon's back. They pulled away. "What about Peter?"

"He's over there." Garnet pointed to a pile on the floor. Kimiko stared in horror and disgust at the pile.

"Is he dead?" Kimko asked. Kimiko stared harder at the pile. It looked as though Peter was full of pumpkin guts. And was that...string?

"He'll be fine. He just needs to pull himself together." Garnet chuckled at her own joke. Kimiko frowned. "Come on." Garnet grabbed Kimiko's hand and they rushed off ahead.

A short minute after Peter's hand crawled it's way towards his body and the pumpkin eater began to stitch himself back together.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review._

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 9: The Pixie Queen<strong>

Alice Little was not how the Dragons thought she would look. She was much older now; a young woman dressed in a blue gingham dress and a white and blue pinafore. She had led them into the dining room of her house and quietly closed the door.

Alice was now seated at the dining room table. She looked at the group before looking down at the letter. There was a heavy feeling of dread in her stomach. Alice looked back at Claire. "How did you get here?"

"Hansel and Gretel." The Dragons were surprised to see some sort of relief flood into Claire's eyes. "It was an accident on their part. I think they were meant to kill me but instead telelported me here."

"And the other one?" Alice looked at the Dragons.

"Her name is Kimiko." Raimundo replied. Alice slowly nodded her head. She was no fool. She was knew that leaving the problem would caused something even worst to happen. Alice looked down at the letter and stared at Garnet's name. It was no surprise now how the group managed to find her and the looking glass. All the vessels in the fairytale land were aware of the looking glass.

Alice suddenly got to her feet. "If you'll follow me to the attic." The group fell in line silently behind her.

* * *

><p>Garnet finally came to a stop in front of a large archway. Kimiko stared at it in amazment. It was a set of young branchs that had been twisted together. There were leaves and beautiful flowers in the archway as well. By Kimiko's side, Garnet knelt down to sort the offering.<p>

"What's that for?" Kimiko asked. Garnet stood up clutching the item.

"A present for the Pixie Queen. It's the only way to make it safely through this part of the forest." Garnet glanced at Kimiko. "Just follow in my footsteps." She ordered. Knowing that there were plenty of fairytale creatures that would want to eat her, Kimiko nodded her head. The two girls entered silently.

This part of the forest was unusually quiet. Kimiko felt worried. There was something wrong with the whole thing.

Suddenly there came a burst of energy and Garnet stopped dead in her tracks. Kimiko peeked round the female's frame to see a tiny creature hovering in front of them. "Who are you?" The tiny creature demanded.

"I need to speak with Queen Thumbelina." Garnet began. The creature eyed her carefully. Garnet held up her offering. "I have something for her."

"Why do you need to see her?"

Garnet stepped slightly to the right. Kimiko waved at the pixie. The said creature stared at Kimiko.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"No."

"I need to return her home. I have to travel through the Queen's forest first." Garnet informed. The pixie sneered before nodding down the forest path.

"Follow me." Both Garnet and Kimiko fell silent and walked behind the pixie.

* * *

><p>In the centre of the forest was the most beautiful altar that Kimiko had ever seen. A tiny throne had been placed on it. The pixie bowed in front of the altar. "My Queen! Strangers have come to see you." The pixie announced. Sat on the throne was the Queen of the Pixies.<p>

Despite being small, Queen Thumbelina was a sight to behold. She had long blond hair and the brightest green eyes Kimiko had ever seen. The little queen was dressed a sparkly white gown adored with flowers and a flower crown sat on her head. In her hand was a tiny staff.

"Strangers? What do you want?" Thumbaline asked. Garnet stepped forward to the altar and placed the gift in front of the Queen.

"Your higness. We simply wish to pass through your forest." Garnet began. Thumbelina did not look at the gift.

"And why through my forest? Couldn't you have gone through another one?"

"Because, your highness, your forest is a direct route to Wonderland." The silence got worst. Kimiko frowned. It was like the pixies were angry at hearing the name Wonderland. Angry or afraid. The queen of the pixies got to her feet.

"Wonderland? You dare tainted our perfect world with that filth?" Thumbelina asked enraged. Kimiko glanced over to Garnet but the vessel seemed to have a plan.

"I need to return this young woman back home. Even you can see she doesn't belong here." Garnet replied. Thumbelina flew over to Kimiko and studied the fire dragon.

"And you are?"

"Kimiko your highness." The dragon replied. Thumbelina looked Kimiko over again.

"The vessel is right. You don't belong here." Kimiko gathered that the pixie queen could sense the power of the fire element. "What magic do you have?"

"It's not really magic. It's called Chi." Kimiko placed her hands together and thought hard. The pixie queen jumped back when the fire dragon produced fire in the middle of her hands. "See?"

Thumbelina sneered. "I am not impressed. I have seen countless people harness fi-" The pixie queen's gaze fell on the ornate snowflake clip of Kimiko's cloak. The queen looked between Garnet and Kimiko. "You know the Snow Queen?"

Garnet smiled a little. Even to Kimiko it sounded as though Thumbelina was scared of the ruler of the Ice Kingdom. "Yes. We both know her so well." Garnet replied. Thumbelina turned pale. "In fact it was the Snow Queen who gave us that gift."

All pixie eyes were back on the gift. Thumbelina held onto her staff tightly to stop from shaking. "Very well." Thumbelina flew back to her throne. "You may pass."

"Really?" Kimiko gasped. Garnet grabbed Kimiko's wrist and dragged her through the forest. Thumbelina looked down at the gift in front of her. A loyal subject bowed down before her.

"What shall we do with this my queen?"

"Throw it in the lake of the Flora Kingdom. I can't stand the sight of it." Thumbelina ordered. The subject bowed. It took two subjects to get rid of the gift.

Elsewhere Garnet and Kimiko made their way quickly through the forest and burst out the other side.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review. Don't worry. The romance will be there._

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 10: The Miko and the Rice Grain<strong>

Kimiko and Garnet paused on the otherside of the pixie forest. The fire dragon cast her eyes back the way they came before looking at Garnet. "What was all that about?"

"Hmm?"

"It looked like she was scared." Garnet looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark. "Is Thumbelina scared of the Snow Queen?"

"I think." Garnet started to walk on. Kimiko followed behind. "I mean I try not to deal with the Pixies at the best of times. To be fair I'm not surprised that she is scared of Anya."

"You're not?"

"Hell no. Anya could wipe Thumbelina out if she wanted to. Pixies don't do well in cold." Garnet smirked. Kimiko shook her head and wrapped her cloak around her body tighter. "Speaking of cold." Garnet muttered.

"I'll say." Kimiko finally took stock of their surrondings. She pointed to a building in the distance. "Is that a shrine?" Garnet squinted her eyes slightly before her face broke out in a wide grin.

"Yomi!" Garnet grabbed Kimiko's hand. "Come on!" The Vessel dragged the fire dragon to the building.

* * *

><p>The Looking Glass, to Omi, wasn't very impressive. The group all stood in the attic looking at the mirror. Claire walked over to it and placed a hand on the cool surface. She smiled faintly. "Home is on the other side."<p>

"So how do we activate it?" Dojo inquired.

"You don't. I do." Alice stepped forward. "And I'd rather not right now."

"Why not?" Raimundo snapped. He regreted his tone. "Sorry." He blushed. Alice merely smiled at the Wind Dragon.

"I understand how you must feel but you almost understand this. The Queen of Hearts, who rules Wonderland, wants me dead. I created the Mirror so only I can use it. She would do anything to gain access to our world and kill me."

"Why?" Clay asked.

"Because she wants to be the sole ruler. The inhabitants of Wonderland see me as..." Alice paused to find the right words.

"A god?" Claire offered. Alice nodded her head slowly.

"Yes. Yes, you could say that." Alice looked back at the Mirror. "I created those people. They seem me as their god. The Queen of Hearts doesn't like that. We will have to wait for your friend to appear on the other side. A seamless transaction is the only way."

"But how long will that take?" Omi asked. Alice looked back at the note in her hand.

"Garnet said it would take them a week on their side." Claire began. She began to silently count in her head.

"Three days our time." Alice stated. "Give or take."

"Three days?" Clay scratched his head.

"Our times run differently. After all to me, we all met last year." Claire explained. The dragons looked at each other.

* * *

><p>Kimiko didn't feel right about barging into a shrine. There were rules. It was a place of worship. Thankfully Garnet knocked loudly on the heavy wooden doors. The silence echoed.<p>

Finally the door opened. A young woman stared back at the pair. She looked the absolute spit of Kimiko but if either the woman or Garnet noticed, they weren't say. In one hand the woman held a lantern. "Can I help?"

"Heya Yomi." Garnet grinned. The woman smiled brightly and gave the vessel a one armed hug.

"Garnet. It's been too long!" Yomi and Garnet parted. "Come in. Come in!" The woman ushered the pair into the shrine.

It was brightly lit and kept in good condition. Kimiko stared in wonder at the place. There were no statues present, but there were lots of different plants. A futon lay on the floor. Now that Kimiko could see, she looked the woman over.

Yomi was dressed in a lavender silk kimiko with butterflies stitched on the seleeves. She had pure white stockings on. Next to the futon were a pair of purple strapped sandals. Next to them were various hair clips and two hair sticks. Surprisingly there was a large scythe lying next to the futon as well.

"Whoes your friend?"

"Yomi, this is Kimiko. Kimiko, Yomi." The fire dragon and the miko bowed respectfully at each other. When Kimiko rose, she noticed a mark on Yomi's forehead.

"Yomi means Land of the Dead." Kimiko blurted out. Yomi smiled and nodded her head.

"I know. Considering my gift, the name is fitting."

"Gift?"

"Yomi can see the dead." Garnet began. She sat down on the polished floor. Kimiko followed her. "Yomi was granted the ability by a godmother. She goes all over the land banished evil spirits."

"It's not as glamous as you make it out Garnet." Yomi sat down on her futon. "After that inccident with Prince Haruto." Yomi shivered. Garnet began to laugh.

"Who knew that the rule to find a princess applies to a shrine maiden as well." Garnet teased. Yomi blushed. Kimiko looked between the two in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

Garnet held a hand to her mouth to stop from laughing. When she had finally finished, she turned to Kimiko. "Yomi was traveling through the Kingdom of the Rising Sun. She was offered a place for the night at the palace and was given a bed containing 10 mattresses."

"Hold on a second!" Kimiko looked back at Yomi. "You're the Princess and the Pea?" Yomi looked at the dragon confused then looked at Garnet. The vessel thankfully knew what Kimiko was talking about.

"Try the Miko and the Rice Grain. The Queen put a rice grain underneath the mattresses and Yomi felt it."

"Not my fault." Yomi sniffed. Her blush continued to get worst.

"So the Queen offered Yomi to Prince Haruto and Yomi had to talk her way out of it." Garnet looked at Yomi. "Lucky that you did. You have heared about Haruto's brother?"

"That idiot cursed that poor girl. Yes I heard all about it." Yomi huffed. The pieces fell into place for Kimiko.

"Prince Haruto is Prince Tomo's brother?" Both Yomi and Garnet nodded their heads. "Good thing you did leave!"

Later that night, after Kimiko had fallen asleep, Garnet gave a run down of events to Yomi. The shrine maiden shook her head. "Those foolish twins. They should have known better." Yomi pulled a face. "Regardless. Spend the night here. Continue on in the morning."

"Thanks Yomi.

"There's no point traveling in the dark." Yomi smiled. The shrine maiden wasn't surprised to see Garnet seat herself at the shrine door on look out. Yomi said nothing and settled down to sleep as well.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review. _

**Chapter 11: There are no strings on me**

It was agreed amongst the Dragons that when a wu activated, one person would remain behind with Claire. This was to ensure that everything went well with Kimiko's return.

"I'll stay." Raimundo offered.

"You sure partner?" Clay studied Raimundo's face. The Wind Dragon looked as though he shouldn't be argued with.

"I'm sure."

Raimundo and Claire remained in the attic while Omi, Clay and Dojo got supplies. Alice returned downstairs to stop any member of her family from going into the attic.

Claire looked at Raimundo. "You care for her. Don't you?"

"What?" Raimundo turned his attention to the werewolf.

"Kimiko. You care about her."

"Yeah. She's my friend. Why wouldn't I?" Raimundo asked confused. Claire shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. You had that look about you when it concerns her. I've seen that same look before." She replied. Raimundo raised an eyebrow.

"Really? With who?"

"The Snow Queen. She gets the same look as you when she talks about Garnet. Garnet's the same."

Raimundo fell silent. His mind slowly thought over Claire's observation.

* * *

><p>After leaving Yomi and the shrine, Garnet and Kimiko continued on their route. Garnet had mentioned something about a village tavern and getting a boat. Kimiko wasn't really paying attention.<p>

Her thoughts continued to drift to Yomi. The Miko's story fitted perfectly with _The Princess and the Pea_.

"Oi. Kimiko." Garnet poked the dragon in the shoulder. "I can hear your thoughts. If you have something to ask then ask."

Kimiko jolted. "It's just...in the story the princess could feel the pea under the mattresses, because she had delicate skin." Kimiko glanced back up the path. "Is it the same for Yomi?"

Garnet shrugged. "Dunno."

"You don't know. You're a telekinetic." Kimiko shot back. Garnet pulled a face.

"Maybe but with some people it's hard to read their mind. Yomi's one of them." She answered. Kimiko frowned slightly before pointing to her forehead.

"That mark."

"The death mark? Yomi was born with it. Her father wanted a godmother to bless Yomi so he search far and wide. When he found one, she blessed the child but not how the parents wanted." The sounds and smells of the nearby village was getting closer.

"Poor Yomi." Kimiko whispered. Garnet shook her head.

"Not really. Yomi made a living out of it so I guessed it all worked out." Garnet stopped and searched the buildings for her target. "Aha! There we are!"

The vessel grabbed Kimiko's hand and dragged her to a tavern. The sign outside read _The Blue Fairy_.

* * *

><p>The tavern was, as Kimiko expected, full to the brim with people. It was also smoky as hell. It was the type of place the Dragon would have steered clear of. Kimiko clutched the two things that had saved her life; the ornate snowflake on her cloak and Garnet.<p>

The vessel's steps did not fault and she selected a table right at the back of the tavern. No sooner had they sat down then a young tavern wench appeared before them. "Anythin' I can get ya?"

"A pint for me. Some water for her." Garnet paused to take her cork pipe out of her pocket. "And tell your boss I need to speak to him." Both the tavern wench and Kimiko stared at Garnet.

"My boss is kind of busy right now." The wench mumbled. Garnet lit her cork pipe and puffed.

"Tell him that Garnet wants him. We'll see how long it takes him to get his wooden arse into gear." The wench scuttled off. Kimiko lent forward on the somewhat sticky table.

"You know the owner of this...place?" Garnet nodded her head. The wench returned with the pair's drinks; water for Kimiko and a pint for Garnet. Kimiko watched in digust as Garnet took a glup of the foul looking liquid.

"Don't pull that face." Garnet chuckled. She set the pint down. "Why do you think I ordered you water." The fire dragon looked down at the liquid in her own cup.

"Doesn't look much like water." She muttered. "Is it drinkable?"

"I've been drinking it for years and I'm fine." Garnet replied. Kimiko had to admit she was thirst so she decided to bit the bullet. To her surprise, the water actually tasted good. Garnet gave a smoky laugh at Kimiko's surprised reaction. "Told ya."

The two sat and talked about various things. Kimiko's attention was pulled away from Garnet when a figure walked towards them. She couldn't believe her eyes.

The figure had the height and build of a man but he was completely wooden. Garnet grinned at the figure who stopped at their table. "Bout time."

"What do you want Garnet? I'm trying to run a professional business here." The figure shot back. Kimiko's eyes traveled over the man's form; taking in the puppet joints on his arms and legs. Garnet continued to puff away for a few minutes.

"I need you to call your supplier Pinocchio." She replied. Pinocchio tugged nervously at his black and white waistcoat.

"I don't know what you mean." He muttered. Kimiko looked at Garnet then back at Pinocchio. "I'm running a professional business here. Now kindly finish your drink and leave."

"Hardly a professional business." Kimiko muttered looking round. Pinocchio glared at her.

"And you know what one is, do you?" He snapped. Garnet lent forward to capture Pinocchio's full attention once more.

"Pin. I need to your supplier's help. You're gonna tell him to met me and my friend at the Seaside Kingdom port."

"What if I don't want to?" Pinocchio sniffed.

"Then I'll happily call _her_ and let you know where you are." Kimiko watched Pinocchio's already pale wooden skin turn even paler. He shook from head to toe.

"Please don't."

"Then tell your supplier." Garnet hissed in warning. Kimiko was sure she had never seen a puppet move so fast. She looked back at Garnet.

"Whoes he so afraid of?" Garnet merely smiled back.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you to __**ZJohnson**__ for her review._

**Chapter 12: The Seven Seas**

Kimiko was extremely relieved when they left the tavern. The fire dragon still couldn't get her head round Pinocchio. She reminded herself that the fairytales were nothing like the ones she grew up with.

"So where are we going?" Kimiko asked as she trotted behind Garnet.

"Seaside Port." Garnet opened the map and pointed to the location. "We can hop on a ship."

"Is it far?"

"Sea sick?" Kimiko shook her head.

"Just wondering. You said a week give or take." She reminded. Garnet nodded her head as she folded the map. "And do we have to go on a ship? How far is this way home?"

"Far enough. The ship journey shouldn't take us long."

"Why a ship?" Kimiko whined. Garnet said nothing at first as she began to lead the way.

"We could just walk it there but..." Garnet paused. "I prefer doing it like this then say walking to the place."

Kimiko's eyes widened slightly. "You think someone's following?" She glanced round before looking at Garnet again. "Peter?" Garnet shrugged and pulled a face.

"Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't. I just don't want to take the chance." Garnet suddenly smiled brightly. "There she is! Seaside Port."

Seaside Port was a beauty to behold. Their main source of income was shells, fish and seafood. The smell reminded the fire dragon of sushi bars. Garnet pushed and pulled their way through the crowds before coming to a single ship in the dock.

"This it?"

"Yeah. Now where the hell is he?" Garnet stood on a barrel surveyed the scene. Kimiko looked the ship over.

It was in good shape. At the front of the ship was a beautiful craves mermaid that oddly enough looked like Christine. Kimiko frowned before looking back at the Seaside Palace. The fire dragon wondered if the mermaid-turned-human was still dancing.

"Aha! Found him!" Garnet cupped her hands around her mouth. "**SINBAD**!"

Kimiko jolted from her thoughts and turned back to the ship. She had the shock of her life.

The man walking towards them, dress in red and gold with swords as well, was the spit of Raimundo. Everything from his walk to the way he carried himself. The man grinned at the girls. Kimiko blushed scarlet.

"Well now. I'll never get use to ferrying beautiful women."

"Can it. Your charms don't work on everyone Sinbad." Garnet shot back as she jumped from the barrel.

"They work on her." Sinbad grinned motioning to Kimiko. Garnet moved and stood in front of her.

"Eyes and mind on the job. She's spoken for." Kimiko frowned at Garnet.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too. Now shut up." Garnet hissed. Kimiko pouted; almost embarrased at herself for divig into the childish bickering. Sinbad on the other hand simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Climb aboard the Dancing Mermaid. We'll be setting sail." Garnet grabbed Kimiko's hand and led her onto the ship.

"Why did you say I was spoken for? I'm not." Kimiko muttered. Garnet grinned.

"So in denial." She chuckled. Kimiko glared at her. "Don't forget. If you let your thoughts travel, then any telekinetic can read them." Garnet's laughter became worst when Kimiko spluttered and turned scarlet again.

"I don't know what you mean!"

"Oh I think you do." Garnet lent closer to Kimiko who huffed and turned away from her friend. "Wind helps fire to grow you know." Kimiko's blush returned and she threw a punch at Garnet. The Vessel dodged and laughed.

"S-Shut up!"

* * *

><p>The sea breeze was refreshing to say the least. Kimiko let herself relax as the ship sailed to it's next destination. She looked down at the sea.<p>

"No use looking for mermaids miss. There are none." Sinbad sidled next to Kimiko.

"What do you mean? They're all dead?" The fire dragon inquired. Sinbad chuckled to himself.

"In a way."

"He's talking about Christine." Garnet added. Kimiko looked down to right to see Garnet resting her back against the ship. Her cork pipe was back in her mouth. "You know the whole thing about how she sold her kingdom for a pair of legs."

"I remember that. Yes."

"You've met the Dancing Mermaid?" Sinbad asked. Kimiko looked her head. To the right of her Garnet got to her feet.

"It was under strange circumstances." Kimiko smiled. Sinbad rose an eyebrow at her.

"How strange?"

"Too strange to explain." Garnet muttered. She tapped her spent ash out of her pipe and over the side of the ship. "You sound a little too interested in Christine." Garnet glanced at Sinbad.

"You reading my thoughts?" Sinbad challenged. Garnet grinned as she stuffed her pipe with fresh tobacco.

"You're as bad as her." Kimiko stuck out her tongue. "I thought you have a thing with that Princess."

"Princess?" Kimiko looked over to Sinbad. The pirate shook his head.

"Not have. Had. And it wasn't a thing. It was a fling." He began. "I had a fling with that Princess."

"Which Princess?" Kimiko asked impatiently.

"Princess Jasmine." Garnet pointed out towards the sea. "Out there somewhere. There is another kingdom. No one but sailors travel there."

Kimiko glanced over to Sinbad who decided to walk away. "Do you think he still loves her?"

"Probably not." Garnet lit her pipe. "If he did he would have gone to visit her." The pair lapsed into silence.

It was almost the end of their journey when Kimiko spoke again. "So what is under the sea anyway?"

"That's an odd question to be askin'." A sailor mumbled. "Don't you know where fish come from?"

"That's not what I meant!" Kimiko huffed. Garnet smirked. "You know what I'm talking about, right Garnet?"

"Yeah. I know." Garnet shoved her pipe back into her pocket. "The sea witch owns that domain now. Everything under the sea belongs to her. As you know there are no mermaids now." Garnet explained. Kimiko looked down at the sea and frowned.

"I'm sure I saw a mermaid earlier." She whispered to herself.

The pair finally disembarked when the ship came to port. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime Garnet. Let me know if you're coming back the same way."

Garnet waved Sinbad off and turned to Kimiko. "Never gives up." She cursed. Kimiko giggled before following behind Garnet.

Not even 5 minutes into their journey when the pair happened upon a hut.

A hut that shot out pink fairy dust from the chimney.


End file.
